In intensive care nurseries, many patients are premature babies whose organs and bodily systems are typically insufficiently developed to carry out their functions without human, mechanical and/or chemical intervention.
An immature digestive system often results in a condition known as gastroesophageal reflux (GER), or regurgitation. Such a condition inhibits normal growth and nutrition, and can occur regardless of the manner of feeding. Thus, whether the patient is tube-fed or bottle-fed, formula from the stomach may reflux up through the esophagus, thereby presenting yet further problems, such as aspiration of the formula into the lungs, apnea (temporary cessation of breathing), respiratory infections, and lung damage.
As a prophylactic measure, physicians often order that infant patients be maintained in a prone position with the surface beneath their head raised as high as possible to enable the force of gravity to work against the reflux.
Raising the head-supporting surface of an infant patient's bed high enough is often difficult. Isolettes and open warmers are not designed to be raised more than a few inches at the head, while ordinary mattresses, if capable of being propped at the head region, require placement of foam wedges, diapers or blankets underneath in order to achieve an angle of inclination of from 30.degree. to 45.degree.. However, once the head region of the patient's bed is propped up, there is the problem of the infant sliding to the foot of the bed. Various impromptu, make-shift solutions have been employed to prevent the infant from sliding from a desired location on the supporting surface. For example, diaper slings have been secured to the bedding with safety pins, and surgical masks have been placed between the patient's legs with the patient tied up in the bed via the strings. However, even though the infants are tiny and weak, they nevertheless are capable of wriggling themselves free. Moreover, these rigged up contraptions can be very dangerous, and in the event of an emergency, it is difficult to quickly find and release all the safety pins or strings to get the patient out quickly. A situation such as this could be especially life-threatening if the infant is in need of cardiopulmonary resuscitation which requires a flat supine position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,769 to Guimond discloses a therapeutic device for positional treatment of GER which consists of a flat padded bed portion which is supported in an inclined position by opposing vertical sides, and a rigid plastic seat secured, by fixed length rigid rods, to each of the vertical sides so that the seat is located atop a central region of the bed portion. The infant is placed in the seat by inserting the infant's legs through leg openings provided in the seat so that the main body portion of the seat receives and encircles the infant's torso. While this arrangement permits free and unrestricted movement of the infant's legs and upper body, in the event of an emergency immediate access to the infant is effectively impeded. In view of the fact that the seat is securely mounted to the device, great care must be taken to avoid injury to the infant's legs and feet when removing the infant from the seat. Further, in the arrangement of Guimond, if the infant soils the seat, cleaning either the infant or the seat requires removal of the infant from the seat and then removal of the seat and rods from the support. Moreover, even though padded, the plastic-covered bed portion of the Guimond device does not provide a soft surface against which the infant can snuggle, and which will provide the infant with a feeling of security and warmth.
Other similar supports for children are known but these devices function as restraints for handicapped children (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,221 to Enste et al) or as orthopedic supports for infants (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,713 to Roston).